Deadlocke Files
by CaterinaBlack
Summary: As a Slytherin in a post-Voldemort world, Aquila Deadlocke has quite a bit of growing up to do. After all, she inherited the LeStrange family fortune, her whole family died in the war, and her future plans are a bit murky. Right now she just wants to complete her N.E.W.Ts, but who knows what the future holds? AU/OC ect.
1. Battle of Hogwarts

Aquila Deadlocke had barely slept in months, making it all the more disorienting to be rudely awoken by a Slytherin house prefect's stinging hex. It was annoying that her one night of dreamless sleep was being interrupted.

"Get up, report to the Great Hall," snapped Pansy Parkinson before she continued on waking up Aquila's roommates.

"Why are we reporting to-" one of her roommates asked.

"We're evacuating" snapped Parkinson. "Stop asking questions."

At Parkinson's snappy but worried tone, Aquila immediately began changing into a robe and traveling cloak.

"Pack" Aquila snapped, and with a wave of her wand everything she owned funneled its way into her trunk in a disorganized heap. She shrunk the trunk and put it in an inner pocket. Another wave of her wand had her dark brown hair up in a braid atop her head.

"I'll help you with the first and second years" Aquila said, already moving as Parkinson gave her a wary look before moving on to the next dorm. Aquila knew that Winter was unlikely to be remotely pleasant at this time of night to the younger years. After shocking the third years into bleary awakeness, Parkinson began corralling the second years and Aquila gathered the three first year girls before fetching the boys. Other than making sure they had their wands and a cloak, there was little that could be done except to herd them up to the Great Hall.

The hall was packed with nearly every resident of the castle in under half an hour. Not everyone had been informed of the evacuation until they were at the Great Hall.

Professor McGonagall stood upon the raised platform of the Great Hall, with the remaining teachers and several strangers who appeared ready to fight. The famous Order of the Phoenix, Aquila deduced.

"It is time to evacuate Hogwarts. The evacuation will be overseen by Mr. Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give the word, you will organize your House and take your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point."

Aquila pursed her lips in thought. This was the chance to escape. If the ensuing battle did not end well, she would leave Britain forever. Her brother had fled as soon as the Dark Lord's return had been announced. Her parents had stayed, but Aquila had not heard from them since they had dropped her off last September. Letters she had sent had returned unopened.

Ernie Macmillan stood up at the Hufflepuff table to shout, "And what if we want to stay and fight?"

Some foolish students applauded.

"If you are of age, you may stay," said Professor McGonagall. "The important thing is to get out of here safely."

A thought occurred to Aquila.

"Where's Professor Snape?" she shouted.

"He has, to use a common phrase, done a bunk," replied Professor McGonagall, and every house but Slytherin cheered.

Aquila watched as Harry Potter moved within the ranks of the houses. She hoped, but would not be so damnably optimistic to assume that he would take care of Britain's Dark Lord problem.

"We have already placed protection around the castle." said Professor McGonagall. "But is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects-"

Her final words were drowned out as a high, cold and clear voice echoed through the hall, sending shivers down everyone's spine.

"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not wish to spill magical blood."

Silence resounded through the hall, the oppressive feeling of doom lingering in the halls.

"Give me Harry Potter" said Voldemort. "And none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

Silence swallowed the hall. Every student looked at Harry Potter. Aquila knew that the Dark Lord would never leave the school untouched. Pansy Parkinson rose from the Slytherin table like the fool that she was, and in an extreme moment of stupidity pointed a shaking arm at Harry Potter like a Gryffindor.

"But he's there. Potter's there! Someone grab him!" Parkinson screeched.

Every house other than Slytherin rose to protect Potter from Parkinson, and suddenly she had a lot of wands pointed at her.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson." said Professor McGonagall. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your house could follow." Slytherin house rose as one to leave. If anyone wanted to stay and fight, that option had now been taken from them. Aquila carefully herded the first and second year Slytherins through the castle. Once they had left the castle and were in Hogsmeade the townsfolk very carefully took groups of students into their homes. As the Battle of Hogwarts began in earnest, Aquila traded off watching the castle with some of the prefects.

Whispers came through far after midnight.

"They need help up at the castle. They can't do it alone…."

Aquila joined the Battle of Hogwarts in the thick of battle. She knew that despite what was said of Slytherin house, she was no coward. She fought the tail end of the battle side by side with centaurs and houselves. She knew that when a cutting spell left her wand it killed the man it struck. She gave herself a moment to throw up before feeling numb. There were giants and death eaters and finally she fought her way into the great hall, briefly seeing Bellatrix LeStrange fall at the hand of Molly Weasley. A sense of victory filled her, her mother had no love for her sister-in-law, who brought out the very worst qualities of her brother.

The Dark Lord reacted with a scream, blasting the Professors and others backwards. From her vantage point Aquila watched as a shield charm grew in the middle of the hall, protecting before Harry Potter whipped off his invisibility cloak.

"HARRY! HE'S ALIVE!" rang through the hall before falling into a silence.

"I don't want anyone else to try to help." Potter said, his voice ringing through the hall. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."

Voldemort hissed in response.

"Potter doesn't mean that." he said, red eyes wide. "That isn't how he works is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?"

"Nobody, There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good…"

"One of us?" jeered Voldemort. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"

"Accident was it, when my mother died to save me?" Potter asked as they circles each other. "Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"

Potter returned from the dead Aquila thought to herself. That was more than a little frightening.

"Accidents!" screamed Voldemort as the entire crowd of the Great Hall watched. "Accident and chance and the fact you crouched and sniveled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you!"

"You won't be killing anyone else tonight," said Potter as they continued to circle each other. "You won't be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people-"

"But you did not!"

"-I meant to, and that's what I did. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?"

"You dare-"

"Yes. I dare,"said Potter. "I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake."

"Is it love again?" said the Dark Lord as they circled each other with a sneer. "Dumbledore's favorite solution, _love_ , which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? Love, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter -and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you dying now when I strike?"

"Just one thing." Potter replied, keeping the Dark Lord busy.

"If it is not love that will save you this time, you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"

"I believe both" Potter replied with far too much confidence. Voldemort laughed in response, a truly terrifying sound.

"You think you know more magic than I do? Than I, Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore never dreamed of?"

"Oh he dreamed of it, but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done."

"You mean he was weak!" screamed Voldemort. "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been hism what will be mine!"

"No, he was cleverer than you, a better wizard, a better man."

Aquila watched, riveted, and frightened that Potter would lose and they would all die.

"I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore!"

"You thought you did, but you were wrong."

"Dumbledore is dead! His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, Potter, and he will not return!"

"Yes, Dumbledore's dead." Potter replied calmly, "But you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged it months ago with the man you thought was your servant."

"What childish dream is this?"

"Severus Snape wasn't yours. Snape was Dumbledore's, Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realized it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronous, did you, Riddle?"

The Dark Lord did not answer as they continued to circle each other.

"Snape's patronous was a doe, the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all his life, from the time when they were children. You should have realized, he asked you to spare her life, didn't he?"

"He desired her, that was all, but when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthy of him-"

"Of course he told you that, but he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since! Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!"

"It matter not! It matters not whether Snape was Dumbledore's or mine, or what petty obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed them as I crushed your mother, Snape's supposed great love! Oh, but it all makes sense, Potter, and in ways you do not understand! Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder wand from me! He intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I got there ahead of you, little boy- I reached the wand before you could get your hands on it, I understood the truth before you caught up. I killed Severus Snape three hours ago, and the Elder Wand, the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny is truly mine! Dumbledore's last plan went wrong, Harry Potter!"

Aquila paled, feeling sorry for the man that had been her head of house. As mean as he appeared to those outside of Slytherin, he knew how to bring out people's strengths, how to goad them into to doing what he wanted them to do. She would miss him. Of course, he never had patience for some people.

"Yeah, it did. You're right. But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you to think about what you've done… Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle…"

"What is this? The Dark Lord asked, his eyes narrowing into thin slits.

"It's your last chance, it's all you got left… I've seen what you'll be otherwise… Be a man… try… Try for some remorse…"

Aquila was not sure where Potter was going with this.

"You dare-?"

"Yes, I dare, because Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle."

Both trembled for a moment.

"The wand isn't working properly because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"He killed-"

"Aren't you listening? Snape never beat Dumbledore! Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would've died with him, because it had never been won from him!

"But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand! I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against its last master's wishes! Its power is mine!"

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't really make it yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? The wand chooses the wizard… The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance."

Voldemort's rage built as he aimed his wand at Potter.

"The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy!"

Shock showed briefly on the Dark Lord's face, and even more on Malfoy's when Aquila turned to look at him.

"But what does it matter?" the Dark Lord asked softly. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to me and you. You no longer have the phoenix wand: We duel on skill alone… and after I kill you I can attend to Draco Malfoy…"

"But you're too late. You've missed your chance. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him."

Aquila recognized Draco's wand in his hand.

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it? So does the wand in your hand know its last master was disarmed, because if it does… I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

The red-gold glow of the rising sun burst across the ceiling of the Great Hall as the pair screamed their two spells.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

There was a bang, and shooting golden flames before the Elder Wand flew out of the Dark Lord's hand into Potters. Voldemort fell to the floor, dead.

People flocked to the boy-who-lived, the defeater of the Dark Lord as the sun continued to rise. Those on the side that lost began to flee, Shacklebolt was named Minister of Magic, and Aquila helped move the dead. Body after body, some more recognizable than others. Death Eater's and students alike, haunting her mind forever at the loss of so many.

Aquila made her way back into Hogsmeade to help gather the students too young to fight, and those that had the self-preservation not to.

"The battle is over, the Dark Lord has been defeated. The Wizarding World shall recover and rebuild" she told the younger Slytherins. Parkinson had long since fled, but the Greengrasses and even Nott helped herd students back into the castle. Aquila looked at Nott, he smelled of the battle, but she said nothing as he helped herd the students back to the castle.

The battle had severely damaged Hogwarts, cracking walls and rubble was everywhere. The Slytherin dorms remained untouched by the battle, and students began packing. The term was over, over half of the castle was uninhabitable. Many students were filled with joy that the Dark Lord was defeated, others were devastated by those who had been lost. There was food in the Great Hall and a celebration of victory. Harry Potter was surrounded by well wishers. Aquila eyed the Malfoys who looked particularly out of place, and decided to sit at the same table at a safe distance.

Parents poured into the hall to reunite with and collect their children. At the end of the day Aquila joined the students taking the train into London and began the long journey to the Deadlocke house. Unreachable by floo since the war began and unplottable so the Knight Bus could not find it, the manor had its own tiny island off of the Cornish coast. If not for being perfectly capable of catching the ferry at Penzance to the Isles of Scilly and being capable of transfiguring a usable row boat to get to Deadlocke Isle, the house may have been unreachable. The Deadlocke's had long done their very best to go unnoticed by any local populations since taking over the island in the late 1700's.

The old granite castle was empty of inhabitants. Not even the house-elf seemed to be home. There were still breakfast dishes from months ago on the table. A feeling of resignation settled over Aquila. Her parents weren't here, and they had not been for quite some time. With a wave of her wand she hooked the floo-network up and removed the anti-owl wards. There was no need to be cut off from the rest of the world.

As a child Aquila had always admired the calm atmosphere of the Deadlocke house. Her father would read her and her brother stories in the sitting room by the fire and her mother would come in and listen after a long day of work at St. Mungo's. As soon as Leon was old enough, he would curl up by the fire with a book of his very own. The library had long ago reached full capacity, and the sitting area and even the staircase were filled with books. As a family of reclusive readers and spell creators, the small ballroom held a duelling platform with targets and quite a bit of dust instead of an actual dancing floor.

Aquila did not sleep in the house on her first night back. The castle was cold, with a lingering feeling of recent inhabitants. The next day she made her way into to Diagon Alley. She very carefully choose common day robes and a cloak that would cover her head if necessary to blend in.

The Leaky Cauldron was packed with people, but Diagon Alley itself was still more than half empty of stores. Gringotts looked like it was doing some reconstruction on it's roof, and the goblins all seemed extremely annoyed. The queue was extremely long, and started outside of the bank. It took a good hour to reach the front of the line.

"I wish to make a balance inquiry, a withdrawal, and a conversion of about 50 galleons to pounds." Aquila stated.

"Name?" asked the goblin, sounding bored.

"Aquila Deadlocke."

"Key?"

Aquila produced her key. It had taken an hour to find the main vault key in her father's study.

The goblin very carefully inspected the key.

"Ironfang, escort Ms. Deadlocke to Stonebane's office."

"Is something wrong?" Aquila asked as a grim looking goblin escorted her from the counter down a long marble hallway. Ironfang did not deign to reply, and left her at the office of Stonebane.

"Come in Ms. Deadlocke." called the goblin.

Aquila entered the office and sat primly on the chair in front of the goblin's desk. "May I ask what this is about? I merely came to do some ordinary business…"

"Ms. Deadlocke, the war has claimed a number of lives. This makes the process of inheritance a bit… tricky." Stonebane gave her a somewhat frightening smile, exposing a lot of teeth.

"Are you aware that both of your parents are deceased?"

Aquila sighed. "I am now. The house was empty. I'm not sure what happened to them…"

"We do not know here at the bank how they died we merely know that they have done so. Your brother, who traveled to America, suffered a quick death at the hands of a hidebehind last month."

Aquila sucked in a breath. "My brother is dead?"

"Yes," the goblin replied unsympathetically. Aquila's mind began to spin. There was a reason that the house felt so empty. She was the last Deadlocke.

"Are you aware that your mother was a LeStrange?" Stonebane asked.

"Of course, though it is not something that was brought up frequently in my household since she was disowned for marrying my father." Aquila said coldly.

"She was never officially disowned. None of the LeStranges survived the Battle of Hogwarts, leaving you the closest heir to the LeStrange fortune."

Aquila barely restrained herself from sneering at the name. "Before you respond, consider that the entire fortune will either be claimed by the ministry… or the Malfoy's if you do not accept it."

"Very well. And what does excepting this fortune entail?" she managed to get out.

"Quite a bit of paperwork and a good deal of money."

"Then perhaps we had better get started." Aquila replied.

Several hours later, Aquila had completed all of her business at Gringotts and was in the possession of rather a large fortune acquired through dubious means, as well as a fortune she never would have been entitled to if her brother had loved. Without having to do much math, she knew that the LeStrange fortune made her one of the wealthiest people in England.

Annoyed at spending so much of her day at the bank, Aquila made her way to Flourish and Blotts to purchase new reading material. She had a feeling that it was going to be a very long summer. Hopefully by the end of it she would be able to take her O. and return to Hogwarts.

A/N: I'll warn you now that I'm not sure where I'm going with this but I have a few more chapters already written.


	2. OWLs

July 6th, 1998

Dear Ms. Deadlocke,

Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be reopening in mid September of this year. If you wish to return as a fifth year student, you are welcome to do so. If you wish to return as a sixth year student, you are required to complete your O.W.L's no later than August 31rst. Please inform us of your decision no later than July 31rst.

Headmistress,

Minerva McGonagall.

Aquila stared at the letter in her hand with a sigh. Revision notes and books for her O. covered a good portion of the formal dining room table. The rest of it was covered with legal books and ledgers. Wading through the legalise and holdings of the LeStrange family holdings was a tedious task, one that she knew she was going to have to hire an estate manager for. At least it kept her busy.

The Deadlocke estate had an account manager… until he fled during the war. His office had been mostly untouched, and she had managed to gather all the documentation for the Deadlocke estate from his office. The Deadlocke estate was much smaller, only containing Deadlocke castle and a small cottage on the outskirts of Hogsmeade for property, along with a great deal of investments, some of which were worthless after the war. The Deadlocke family held stock in bookstores and publishing companies, but not much else. Some were abroad, at least, and still were making returns.

With the complete and utter mess of the LeStrange estate's properties, investments, and other holdings, Aquila began drafting a list of potential law offices that dealt with estates. She was rather disgusted with the idea of cataloguing the family's assets. She rather suspected that cleaning up and disposing of Dark artifacts and pests would be a nearly full time job.

Accepting the LeStrange family remains had been bad enough. She had simply had them cremated and tossed into the family crypt. It annoyed her that at least she had the remains of her Uncles, grandfather and Aunt Bellatrix to put in the family crypt. Her parents were both dead and she hadn't been able to bury either of their tried very hard not to dwell on the fact they were dead, it was a fact that filled with a mixed feeling of grief and rage that rendered her unproductive for hours. Her brother's urn and wand had been shipped to her and now sat on the mantle in the sitting room.

It took her most of the day to draft her letters to the various law firms. As she flooed into Hogsmeade it occurred to her that either an Apparition license or moving would make her life a good deal easier. As it stood, she made her way to the post office to send her owls to both the law firms and an inquiry to the house-elf relocation office.

Wanted posters covered nearly every available surface of Hogsmeade's walls. There were quite a few nasty Death Eaters and their affiliates such as Greyback still at large. Aquila wondered how many of the older Slytherins were even left after the defeat of the Dark Lord.

When she arrived at home she picked up the Daily Prophet. It primarily covered the various trials, captures, and the rebuilding effort at both Hogwarts and the Ministry. The shear amount of trials meant that they would be going into the school year. Aquila suspected that the seventh year Slytherin class would be fairly light on returning folk.

Mid-August, 1998

The Ministry of Magic had its own room set up for O.W.L examinations. Most of the time it was a classroom or briefing room for the Aurors, but today it was set up for the written examinations. Practicals would be done one-by-one in one of the two side-rooms. The room was primarily filled with Ravenclaws and Slytherins with a Hufflepuff and two Gryffindors prepared to take the examination. Aquila rather suspected that the fifth year class would be gaining a few members from those who preferred to take the year over. There were also a few test takers she didn't recognize- homeschoolers. They had been safe from the frightening place Hogwarts had turned into last year. Aquila was sure that their families had left Britain if at all possible. The thought of the families who had fled being safe while everyone else wondered if their relatives were dead or if they were going to get the Cruciatus curse cast on them filled Aquila with bitterness. She shook it off and sat patiently at her desk by Astoria, well prepared to take her charms exam.

"How was your summer?" Astoria asked.

"Quiet" Aquila replied, not wanting to go into detail about her parents death. Astoria was a pretty and well-meaning girl, though her aspirations seemed limited to catching a wealthy husband and settling down to raise the next generation of perfect pureblood children while holding dinner parties.

Winter delicately sat herself beside Astoria, carefully inspecting her nails as she waited for the exam to start. She was a vain girl, with long brown hair that behaved a bit better than Aquila's.

The proctor finally started the exam at 9 a.m, and Aquila settled herself in for a long two weeks. She had not taken all twelve of Hogwarts classes- Divination was a class that could easily be self-taught- but she was taking all twelve of the possible O.W.L.s. She hadn't taken Muggle Studies either until the joke of a class last year, but her parents had both insisted on knowledge and experience with the non-magical world. As a LeStrange, her mother had barely been exposed to it until after graduating Hogwarts.

"Time's up." the proctor said. Feel free to go eat lunch, just come back in time to take your practical."

Aquila handed in her exam and made her way to the Ministry's cafeteria. It was jam packed with haggard looking workers, press, and a lot of people who looked like lawyers.

Astoria motioned at Aquila to sit with her and Winter.

"It seems quite busy today." Aquila said as she sat down.

"It's Dolohov's trial today." Winter replied.

"Ah, I haven't been keeping up with the Prophet as much as I should." Aquila said.

"Pius Thicknesse's first hearing is today as well" said Astoria.

"I cannot imagine that it will go well for him, even if he was Imperioused."

By the end of her O.W.L exams, Aquila was quite tired, and rather wished she had a whole summer to recover. Alas, the term started two weeks from her finish date, and her exam results came a week after completing them.

They sat on the table until after she finished reading the letter from her new estate manager. Lincoln Kellington was a half-blood whose family had been specializing in law for the past six generations. He was the youngest of five, all of whom specialized in law. Aquila knew that he would not have been most people's first choice as an estate manager, but she knew that it would make him put in more effort than others would. She also valued his belief in discretion, she would not remind people that she was related to the LeStrange family at all if she could help it, and her donations to the rebuilding of Hogwarts would remain substantial but Anonymous.

Finally she steeled herself to open her O.W.L results.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Pass Grades Fail Grades

Outstanding (O) Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A) Troll (T)

Aquila Arianna Deadlocke has achieved:

Ancient Runes O

Arithmancy O

Astronomy O

Care of Magical Creatures O

Charms O

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Divination A

Herbology O

History of Magic O

Muggle Studies O

Potions O

Transfiguration O

Eleven O's and one Acceptable… in Divination which was a highly subjective subject anyway. It did make it difficult to decide what to take as N.E.W.T level subjects. Both Muggle Studies and Divination had been done purely as self-study, so they would not be subjects she would consider taking, though sitting her N.E.W.T for Muggle Studies might be beneficial for the long term. Care of Magical Creatures was an interesting subject, but Hagrid as a teacher was bad for her long-term health. A N.E.W.T in Astronomy was practically worthless, and Aquila did not fancy anymore midnight classes. History of Magic was practically a self-taught class anyway with Binns teaching. Her grasp on history and government was strong enough without having to endure his sleep inducing lectures.

That left Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Charms, DADA, Herbology, Potions, and Transfiguration. Seven N.E.W.T level classes was fairly ambitious, especially since she fully intended to take the History of Magic and Muggle Studies N.E. after the end of her seventh year. Rather than go to Diagon in person while it was a mad house she owl-ordered all of her books. She would pick up parchment, ink, and other essentials from Hogsmeade rather than Diagon.

Going back to Hogwarts was a bit eerie. The crowd at the platform was a mix of subdued and excited, depending on the student and their circumstances. The sounds of animals and people everywhere was overwhelming. Other than her occasional visit to Diagon, Hogsmeade, and the Ministry Aquila had barely interacted with anyone all summer. She was grateful that Winter held the dubious privilege of being a prefect for their year as she found an empty compartment and warded it against anyone who might bother her. Despite this she did not even last ten minutes into the ride until she was interrupted.

"I know you're in there." she heard Astoria's impatient voice. "I need somewhere to sit that doesn't involve Parkinson. I don't think I can make it the whole ride without hexing her."

Aquila sighed, and undid the wards to let Astoria in. She barely resisted the urge to sneer as Astoria sat down and pulled out Witch Weekly.

"How was your summer Aquila?" she asked brightly.

"Quiet and uneventful." Aquila replied. It was true, though she rather wished one or both of her parents were still alive.

"Did you watch any of the trials?"

"No, I just read about them. I have no stake in their outcome."

"Ah yes, you don't have any family that was on the wrong side, do you?"

"My Uncles were on the wrong side, but they both perished in the final battle." Aquila gently corrected.

"Your Uncles? I didn't even know you had any." Astoria said.

Aquila sighed, knowing that Astoria would not be satisfied until all her questions were fully answered. "My Uncles were the LeStrange brothers. My mother never spoke of them growing up."

Astoria blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize your mother was a LeStrange. Her marriage-"

"Her marriage nearly led to her being disowned. The Deadlocke's have never been one of the sacred 28 for a reason."

"Well, at least your family must have gotten a great deal of money after the war."

Aquila paused before replying. "We did, though everything is cursed and will need to be looked at before anyone touches it."

Astoria heard the tension in the room and decided to steer away from it. "Which classes are you taking this year?"

"The standard ones: Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology, and Defense along with Ancient Runes and Arithmancy."

"That sounds like a very busy schedule. I've never much liked Herbology and I only got an A on Transfiguration so I'll have nearly the same schedule as you."

Aquila shrugged. "How much have you read of the textbooks? Normally I'd nearly be done, but I've been studying more for O.W.L.s than anything else."

"I made an effort to read some of the Potions text and the Charms text, but I'm not nearly as far as I should be."

"If you don't mind then, I'm going to read. I got through some of the DADA text as well, but none of the Runes text, and you know how Professor Babbling is."

Astoria gave her a nervous look. Aquila doubted that Astoria had even touched the Ancient Runes text. "Er- alright. You're probably right."

Astoria left not long after to find others to gossip with, leaving Aquila to read in peace. Finally the train began to slow.

Aquila stepped out onto the platform and was startled as she made her way to the carriages. They were pulled by thestrals, she realized, something that hadn't really registered when she went home from Hogwarts the last time. A lot more people could see them now, she decided, looking around at the other faces eying the creatures with distaste. Aquila quickly squeezed into a carriage with some of her fellow Slytherins as the sky began to open up. A light sprinkle turned into a drizzling downpour just before the carriages reached the castle. The castle itself had a mix of new and old stones. It didn't quite match the way it had before. The Great Hall had entire sections of the wall replaced.

As everyone but the first years filtered in Aquila watched her fellow Slytherins. Only the girls from last years 7th year had returned. Parkinson looked a little worse for wear. Both Malfoy and Nott had yet to stand trial. Goyle had already been convicted, and Crabbe was dead. Zabini had probably chanced taking his N.E. rather than coming back. Most of the sixth years had made it back. The academically inclined would be joining the seventh years. Of Aquila's own year the Carrow twins were missing. No one would be sorry to see them gone, they had helped their Aunt and Uncle torture far too many. Most of the younger Slytherins had returned. For some, there was probably nowhere else to go, Aquila thought bitterly. Of the other houses the dead and some of the heros were missing. Potter, Weasley, Longbottom, and Granger were all gone. Granger missing was the only one that surprised Aquila.

The sorting was a somber affair. Aquila made an effort to clap for those sorted into Slytherin. It was a fairly small class. After the sorting Headmistress McGonagall stood up.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. The war is over and Voldemort-" she paused for the gasps- " has been defeated. The school has been rebuilt and restaffed over the summer. You may notice that the student population is less than what it used to be, both due to the final battle and those that have left the country. We will regain more of our numbers next year as our students return home, and due to the open invitation that will be issued to children of age abroad to come to Hogwarts. In the upcoming year I wish to emphasize academic excellence and inter-house unity. There will be a number of collaborative projects over the next year. Of course both Quidditch and the House Cup will return in the upcoming year. Please enjoy your meal and the upcoming year." she finished wearily sitting down.

"The Headmistresses looks old." said Winter as the feast appeared.

"That's not surprising" chimed in her brother Easton. "She was in charge of overseeing all the reconstruction over the summer."

The chatter at the Slytherin house table was restricted to simple topics, and steered clear of those who were missing and which trials had happened. Almost everyone at the table had at least one relative who was a Death Eater or knew someone who was. Aquila did not make much input into the conversation. Being around so many people again made her quite paranoid.


	3. Year 6

Getting schedules the next morning took quite a bit of time as Slughorn consulted his list of who was in which year. The sixth year schedule took the longest as he dug through his copy of O.W.L scores.

"Well Ms. Deadlocke, I see that you have achieved an impressive amount of O.W.L.s and are taking an ambitious but not impossible number of courses." said Professor Slughorn as he handed her a schedule. "I look forward to having you in my class."

Aquila nodded politely. Slughorn had never acknowledged her by name before, despite being the head of Slytherin house.

Winter's lips curled in a sneer as he left. "He must be getting ready to throw his parties again this year."

"I have no interest in attending." Aquila replied.

"Why not, they're such a good networking opportunity." said Astoria.

"I don't really need to network" replied Aquila.

"But for job opportunities and a good marriage you'll have to."

Aquila shrugged. Her inheritance as a Deadlocke would not have been enough to never work if her brother and parents weren't dead, but with the full Deadlocke inheritance she would be capable of living well without ever working. However, the LeStrange inheritance made her one of the richest people in the British Isles.

"I intend to travel after I finish school. There is so much of the world to see before I settle into a career."

"An interesting choice." said Winter. "Won't your parents miss you?"

Aquila smiled bitterly. "My parents did not survive the war." she said as she stood up for class.

Astoria and Winter exchanged startled glances before moving to follow. They did all have charms together.

Professor Flitwick began the class in his usual squeaky tone, lecturing about the importance of Charms in everyday life, and the importance of being able to perform them silently. There were no actual spells taught in this class, just an introduction to the concept of silent spells and a good deal of reading. Ancient Runes was a class that dumped even more homework on Aquila, and Professor Sprout assigned what would normally be two weeks of reading in one class period by the time Herbology was done.

Aquila half ate and half read as her classmates caught up on their summers. By the time Arithmancy came around she was dreading how much homework would be assigned, but Professor Vector surprised her by doing a review.

The very last class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Ali was an imposing figure, and seemed the sort to be prone to scowling.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts." he began in a brusque, American accent. "I am a retired Auror from America, which qualifies me to teach this class. The past few years have clearly taught you the importance of knowing how to defend yourself, so I will concentrate on fine-tuning your skills and educating you about the proper spells for various situations. I am unaware of your current knowledge of Defense, so the rest of the class will be taken up by a quiz." he paused to wait out the groans. "Once you are done, you may begin the assigned reading for next class." with a flick of his wand four chapters from two separate books appeared along with an essay assignment.

The quiz- or knowledge assessment, took a full hour for Aquila to fill out. A few questions on it gave her a bit of concern, and she answered them very vaguely. A few she did not answer at all, two because she did not know the answer, and a few because she did and probably should not advertise that she knew. It still gave her a good 40 minutes to start on the homework while some of her classmates were still struggling to answer the questions. Once the class was dismissed Aquila made her way to the library, grateful for the featherlight and extension charms on her bag. She worked on homework halfway through dinner before going and grabbing a bite to eat. With a look of resignation on their faces, both Astoria and Winter joined her in the library after dinner.

"I was hoping this year would be fun" complained Astoria, pouting. Winter and Aquila gave her identical looks of disbelief and she cracked open her charms text. They all left twenty minutes before 9, Winter to go do rounds, and Astoria and Aquila for the common area. Exhausted, Aquila made her way straight to bed.

The post came the next morning, lots of parents writing to their children with boxes of forgotten items. Aquila got her copy of the Daily Prophet and a deceptively small package that she suspected was charmed.

"Dear Ms. Deadlocke,

I have finally completed an inventory of all of your holdings and have enclosed a copy for you to review. At some point we will need to discuss future investment plans, vault audits, and property maintenance.

Wishing you a pleasant beginning to your Hogwarts year,

Lincoln Wellington

Estate Manager

Wellington & Sons

Aquila could not help but let out a sigh at the letter. She would finish her homework later and then go straight to reading the inventory. She had none of the training that her father had bestowed upon her brother so she was likely going to have to find or buy books on estate management. She knew that there was family magic as well, but that would not be in any books outside of family libraries.

Tucking her package into her bookbag for later Aquila made her way to the Transfiguration classroom, only stopping briefly to point some frightened first years in the proper direction after they were cornered by Peeves. Winter passed by looking a tad disgusted.

"Hufflepuffs always get lost." she complained. "Why can't you be the prefect Aquila, you already do half of the duties." she finished as they sat down.

"I'll leave you that unfortunate honor. I prefer having time to complete my Homework." Aquila replied.

Professor McGonagall swept into the classroom a moment later.

"Welcome to Advanced Transfiguration." she began. "Congratulations on passing your O.W.L.s with higher than an Acceptable. This class will be fast paced and demanding. If you find yourself unable to keep up, than perhaps this class is not for you." with a wave of her wand syllabi landed on each of their desks.

"This is the tentative Syllabus for this term. We may progress quicker than this in which case I will provide you with a revised copy. If, as Headmistresses, I am too busy to grade your essays they may be graded by the perfectly capable Professor Wells, who teaches the younger years. You may have noticed the addition of some extra Professors this year, a trend that will continue next year, especially for the non-elective classes.

Now, the principles of rematerialization is a logical place to begin after vanishing charms…"

Aquila was extremely grateful that her classes ended before lunch on Tuesdays. Double Potions was her last class of the day. Advanced Potions was a sparsely occupied class. Astoria, Easton, and Winter were present from her own house. Romilda Vane and Victoria Frobisher were from Gryffindor, along with a disgruntled Ginny Weasley, who had not passed her sixth year exams. Daniella Vale made up the single Hufflepuff in the room. There were five Ravenclaws, Isabella Sweeney, Mira Bakshi, Ivan Dolohov, Tomlyn Selwyn and Melinda Bobbin. Vale sat with the Gryffindors, leaving the three Ravenclaw girls together, the two Ravenclaw boys together and all four Slytherins together inside the steaming room. With a quick glance Aquila picked out Amortentia, Polyjuice, and Veritaserum. The last potion, if she wasn't mistaken, was Felix Felicis. Her father had tried to brew it once and called it impractically fussy.

"Well," Slughorn began. "This seating arrangement simply won't do. We are supposed to be encouraging inter-house unity!"

Professor Slughorn then proceeded to rearrange the room until it was arranged to his satisfaction. Instead of sitting with her fellow Slytherins Aquila ended up at a table with Melinda Bobbin, Ginny Weasley, and Thomlyn Selwyn. The poor Hufflepuff girl ended up with Dolohov, Winter, and Romilda Vane, who all had their own particular types of unpleasantness.

Weasley threw a sneer at Aquila as she sat down, one that Aquila returned with a mocking smirk. She had no issues with Selwyn- whose Uncle was awaiting trial- or Bobbin, whose father owned a chain of Apothecaries Aquila's own father had assisted in stocking.

"Now, take out your potions kits and scales everyone. Don't forget to take out your copy of Advanced Potion Making, it will be essential to today's potion making process as I very much doubt you have the potion we are about to brew today memorized.

Before we begin brewing, I have a few potions for you to look at. These are the kinds of potions you should be able to brew after you completing your N.E. . Even if you haven't brewed them yet, you ought to have heard of them. Now, who can tell me what this one is?" said Professor Slughorn, gesturing to a clear, odorless potion bubbling away nearby.

It took a moment before Aquila raised her hand, just beating out Bobbin. Slughorn waved a hand at her.

"That is veritaserum, characterized by being colorless and odorless with the effect of making the drinker tell the truth. It is of course toxic in large quantities and comes with the additional side effect of dizziness for the drinker."

"Very good Ms. Deadlocke. I don't believe you've ever voluntarily spoken in my class before. And this one?" Slughorn asked, pointing to a mud-like substance.

Bobbin looked puzzled, but Weasley raised her hand. Aquila recognized it by its appearance, but it was not one her father brewed.

"Yes Ms. Weasley?"

"That one is Polyjuice."

"Very good Ms. Weasley. I'm sure everyone here knows what it does. And this one?" he asked, pointing at the next one. It took Aquila to recognize its characteristic mother of pearl sheen. It was not usually sold at Apothecaries, so she was not surprised that Bobbin didn't recognize it. Weasley seemed to, but seemed disinclined to raise her hand, as did Winter. Aquila smirked, amused as no one raised their hands.

Slughorn looked around the room seeing both puzzled and reluctant looks. "Do you recognize this one Ms. Deadlocke?"

"It's Amortentia, a very powerful love potion that creates a powerful infatuation in the drinker with the person whose hair or fingernails have been added to the potion. It can be easily recognized by a characteristic mother of pearl sheen, it's characteristic spirals, and the fact it smells like what attracts people the most."

"A very thorough answer Ms. Deadlocke. Ten points to Slytherin. And five points to Gryffindor for Ms. Weasley's earlier recognition of the Polyjuice potion.

As Ms. Deadlocke pointed out, Amortentia does not create actual love, and instead creates a powerful obsession. It is therefore the most dangerous potion in this room- for those of you who are skeptical consider that an obsessive love is far more dangerous than the truth or impersonating another for an hour or so."

"And now it is time to begin."

"Sir, what's that one?" asked Ms. Vale, pointing curiously to a golden potion splashing away merrily."

Slughorn smiles, and the Slytherins were very aware that he had been waiting for someone to ask.

"Ah, yes. That one. It is a curious little potion called Felix Felicis. Would anyone like to tell me what it does?"

Surprisingly Weasley raised her hand again. "It's liquid luck."

"Very good Ms. Weasley."complemented Slughorn. "Take another five points for Gryffindor. Felix Felicis is a funny little potion that is extremely tricky to make and tends to result in a rather large explosion if made wrong, or ends up being highly toxic. If brewed correctly, as this one is, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed. At least until the effects wear off."

"Why don't people take it all the time?" Selwyn asked eagerly.

"Because when taken in excess it has the side effects of giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence. It is highly toxic in large quantities even if brewed correctly and should only be taken very sparingly.

"And have you taken it Professor?" Easton Rosier asked curiously.

"Only twice in my life. I had two perfect days…" he answered dreamily. "A tiny vial of Felix Felicis is what I offer as a prize in this lesson. It is enough for twelve hours of luck, and of course is a banned substance in organized competitions, sporting events, examinations, or elections. The winner is to use it on an ordinary day only to make it extraordinary! And how do you win this fabulous prize?" he continued briskly.

"Turn to page 10 of your text and you will discover the recipe for the Draught of Living Death, a more complicated potion then you have brewed before.I don't expect a perfect potion from anybody, but the person who does best will earn themselves this vial. You have approximately an hour left. Off you go!"

Aquila carefully read through the recipe listed in the book in front of her. Her father had often sneered at any text written by Libatious Borage and she could see why. There were directions, but they were distinctly lacking in true technique. She carefully began measuring out ingredients and adding them to her cauldron. Bluish steam filled the entire room, mixing with the other scents and vapors already present. After adding the Valerian roots she didn't bother trying to cut the sopophorus beans, everyone who had ever dealt with them knew that it was much easier to crush them with silver. She added the juice, getting it to turn the correct color and added a clockwise stir after every seven counterclockwise stirs. Bixo's principle of balance clearly stated that it was necessary to successfully combine possibly volatile ingredients successfully."

"Time's up!" Called out Slughorn, and annoyed Aquila put her stirring rod down. A few more stirs and it would be perfect.

Slughorn prowled the room, making a face at everyone's potion. Bobbin's was quite good, but Slughorn finally looked at hers. "Excellent Ms. Deadlocke. You have brewed a nearly perfect Draught of Living Death. Here is your well deserved vial of Felix Felicis. Use it well!"

The class left the dungeons, and Aquila noted the jealous looks she received.

"How did you brew the potion so well?" Astoria demanded.

"My father always used to say that Libatious Borage had rubbish instructions. I recalled some of his lectures on theories and ingredient preparation. Little things like crushing sopophorous beans with silver and adding a clockwise stir for every seven counterclockwise stirs to balance out volatiles make a rather large difference…" Aquila said enthusiastically.

"Such a pretentious little know-it-all sneered Romilda Vane. "I'm surprised they even let your house back into the school you slimy snake. You stole that vial from me and I want it back!" she half shouted, taking out her wand in the corridor.

"I didn't steal anything from you. I earned my prize" Aquila said, gripping her wand inside her robe and preparing to cast a shield charm.

Vane lifted her wand and cast a curse. Aquila ducked out of the way, the curse was not exactly a harmless spell.

"What do you think you are doing Ms. Vane?" Professor Ali asked brusquely. "That was a dark spell, not a harmless hex. Fifty points from Gryffindor, and you shall be joining in my office right now to discuss your detention."

Aquila looked at the spot on the wall where the blasting curse had struck. If it had hit her she could have been severely injured or even died. And for what? A little vial of luck.

She made her way into the Great Hall, extremely wary. Hogwarts was no longer a safe place to be a Slytherin.

After the incident with Romilda Vane, Aquila did her very best to retain her former low profile. She rarely spoke out in classes unless required, and was very careful not to be noticed as the first to complete anything. This worked for all classes except for potions, where she allowed herself to shine a little, but not as much as she could. It did not really stop Vane from being nasty to her, but after three weeks of Detention with Professor Ali she wouldn't openly curse her in the corridor. She resorted to scathing comments about Slytherins in general. Though Aquila wasn't usually bothered by what people thought of her, she fervently hoped that Vane and others- there were some especially nasty Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as well- never found out that her Uncles were the infamous LeStrange brothers.

Between dodging other students, keeping up with coursework, and attempting to understand her monetary and legal obligations, Christmastime snuck up on Aquila. Deciding if she was going to stay at Hogwarts hinged on a meeting with her Estate Manager, which thankfully could be scheduled for the Hogsmeade weekend before break. Hogshead was a grungy pub, and Aquila discreetly cast a cleaning charm at her glass before pouring Butterbeer in it. Lincoln sipped at his firewhiskey as he laid out quite a bit of paperwork in their private parlor. The owner had the audacity to ask if they wanted a room with a bed earlier.

"As you are aware you have quite a bit of money. You legally have control over all the Deadlocke funds and investments, mostly the publishing companies, bookstores and a few Apothecaries. The LeStrange Estate is a bit more complicated. They are an old family, so I believe that in order to claim everything you have to perform some sort of blood magic at their main estate. I suggest waiting until midsummer or some other significant holiday to do so."

"So do I have control over the LeStrange family money or not?" Aquila questioned.

"The money is yours, it's the estate part that isn't quite completely claimed. Someone could take the property away if they are related closely enough to the LeStranges."

"And I care why? The estate itself is probably filled to the brim with dark artifacts."

"If they claim the estate than they get all of those Dark artifacts. Who knows what someone could do with them." explained Lincoln patiently.

Aquila sighed. "I suppose you're right. I might be able to find something about blood claiming rituals in the restricted section of the library, but if I can't I may need you to make discreet inquiries for me, preferably abroad."

"Of course. I do charge by both the hour and the difficulty of the work…"

"I will compensate you for any risks you take and protect you from the Ministry if need be, or at least I'll hire you a very good lawyer." Aquila assured him.

"Good, then let us discuss your current holdings and some possible investments you could make. WWW is in need of investors and I'm sure that they will make excellent returns..."

Christmas itself was a quiet but amusing affair. Aquila was perhaps the only one from her year that stayed, along with a few seventh year and fifth year Ravenclaws and a half dozen younger years who had nowhere else to go.

"Ms. Deadlocke," Professor Slughorn greeted her as he sat down. "I do hope that you did not take any offense to my lack of invitation to my Christmas party. You are always so quiet that you slip into the background."

"Of course I don't take offense Professor" she replied easily. "I was busy completing some last minute homework before break anyway. I am very much looking forward to my time perusing the library, I've managed to catch up on quite a bit of reading I've been meaning to get to."

"Well, if there is anything that you need in the library let me know. I'm always happy to help."

"Actually there are a few books in the restricted section that I would like to take a look at if you wouldn't mind giving me permission. I can give you a list of course, not all of them are related to potions so if you'd prefer I can always get another Professor's signature for the non-potions related books…"

Slughorn waved a dismissive hand. "If you are willing to do me a favor I would be happy to give you a blanket permission slip. There are some first and second year Slytherins who need help with their essay writing and study skills. If you would be willing to help them gain the skills they need and create a little study group I'd be happy to sign a permission form for the restricted section. I simply don't have the time to help them all."

"I would be happy to help my fellow Slytherins sir" Aquila said guardedly, surprised that Slughorn would give her a blanket permission form.

"Excellent. Now enjoy the Christmas feast…."

The start of the next term was begun with the announcement of the Malfoy's trial. Each one of the family was tried individually, and as Aquila followed in the papers, each was given their sentence. Narcissa was simply given a fine. Draco was given a much larger fine and his magic usage would be monitored for five years. He would be returning to Hogwarts for his seventh year next year. As a minor when most of his crimes were committed, he was getting off fairly lightly. Lucius Malfoy narrowly avoided prison by naming all his fellow Death Easters and assisting the Ministry in catching several. He would forever be a pariah to all society, his magic would be monitored for the next decade, and he was confined to his house for the next two years. Without Potter's testimony the other two Malfoy's sentences would have been much harsher.

Theodore Nott's trial did not make headline news. It was instead buried more towards the back of the Prophet. As he had been forced to take the mark, had committed no crimes, and had not harmed anyone in the Battle of Hogwarts, he was simply left with a steep fine, magical monitoring for two years, and the stipulation he return to Hogwarts to finish his schooling. Aquila had always liked the way that Nott had stood up to Malfoy. He had never bowed to him like many others in the house had. A thin boy, he had grown from being a stringy boy to a haunted looking but handsome man. Aquila looked forward to seeing him in her classes the following year.

"Looks like Grange testified at Theo's trial" said Daphne as she read the paper at breakfast. Daphne sometimes deigned to speak with her sisters friends since the company in her own year was distinctly lacking.

"It probably helped him." Aquila agreed.

"I hope so. Theo never wanted to be a Death Eater. It's a pity I didn't wait a year to come back. I miss his commentary on our education… and on people. He was always quite amusing." Daphne finished fondly.

"Careful Daphne. You almost sound like you have a crush." teased Astoria.

"On Theo?" she scoffed. "No, but he was a good friend. Besides, father would never allow me to marry a convicted Death Eater, willing or not."

In between homework, her access to the restricted section, and tutoring first and second years on how to properly read and write Aquila's term passed by quickly other than a particularly embarrassing incident on Valentine's Day where she made the awful mistake of going to Hogsmeade with Richard Yates. He took her to Madam Puddifoot's only to humiliate her by calling her a Death Eater whore in front of everyone after copping a feel. It was later that she found out he was Romilda Vane's cousin. It left her with a bitter taste in her mouth.

For the rest of the year she concentrated solely on academics, not even bothering to go to the Quidditch games. Only apparition lessons helped break up the monotony. She found the blood-claiming ritual in the restricted section fairly quickly but used her pass as a way to write much better Defense and Potions essays. Her Defense essays were so good that Professor Ali caught her after class one day in late may.

"Where did you get the material about the blood-boiling curse?" he asked brusquely as she sat down in his office.

"One of the books in the restricted section of the library. I think it was Blatvik's Guide to Healing Dark Curses actually."

"How did you get access to the book. I didn't give you a permission slip for the restricted section." said Professor Ali.

"Professor Slughorn gave me one over Christmas break that is good for the entire term." she replied.

"You mean to tell me that Professor Slughorn gave you a blanket permission slip to the restricted section for the whole term? Tell me he at least keeps track of what you read."

Aquila shook her head. "Why would he?" she asked. "I use it to write better essays for his class to. Besides, it's not as if I know how to cast the blood-boiling curse. I was more interested in its effects and how to heal it. I'm considering becoming a healer like my mother was."

"Your parents will be horrified when they know that you've had unrestricted access to the restricted section this term."

"That's unlikely. My parents were both Ravenclaws. And they are both dead so not much of anything bothers them these days." Aquila finished coldly.

Professor Ali did not hide his expression of pity quite quickly enough.

"If there is nothing else Professor," Aquila said as she rose from the chair, "I have a good deal of homework that I need to be completing."


End file.
